Now issued by driver's license clerks, the new law will eliminate an extra step in the process of obtaining the permit, but will require the sheriff's to look at how the change will impact their departments, according to Lt. Kelly Luttrell of the Camden County Sheriff's Department.

Luttrell said the sheriff's department is already involved in the process. By moving the issuance of permits to their department, it will eliminate one step in the process for those getting their CCW permits.

Camden County Sheriff's Department has a clerk who handles the permits now. With the change, that job will be expanded to include processing and issuing the permits.

Luttrell said the changes and funding will be a topic later this month at the Missouri Sheriff's Association's 2013 Summer Training Conference in Springfield. After that, Luttrell said he will have a better idea as to how the Camden County office and others statewide will handle the transition. The state has created a conceal and carry grant fund that will be distributed through MoSMART.

Currently, the process requires the applicant to take a concealed carry permit class. Upon completion of the class, the applicant takes the completed form to the sheriff's office with a $100 fee, which includes a full background check conducted in Jefferson City. If approved, the applicant takes the approved application to the Department of Revenue (driver's license station) to have the endorsement placed on the applicant's driver's license or state ID card.

With the new law, the sheriff will issue the card upon approval.

According to Nixon's Press Secretary Scott Holste, the change "was prompted by concerns that the licensing agency's procedures had infringed on people's privacy rights."

According to the bill, "concealed carry permits will be valid for five years from the date of issuance or renewal. A concealed carry endorsement issued prior to August 28, 2013 must continue for a period of three years from the date of issuance or renewal, as described in the act" (Bill 75 [Section 571.101]).